African Culture and the Status of

Women: The Yoruba Example

by

O.O. Familusi, Ph.D.

fameofame@yahoo.com
Department of Religious Studies,University of Ibadan,
Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract
Issues relating to the rights of women across the globe are a major focus of contemporary
scholarship. Quest for women emancipation has been on the increase in religious, political
and economic spheres. This is premised on the fact that women are always at the receiving
end. This however has been discovered not to be true in its entirety as women in every society
enjoy some inalienable privileges. This paper therefore discusses the status of Yoruba women
in traditional Africa from a holistic perspective, with emphasis on how culture has impacted
negatively on their well-being, although there are benefits derive from their status in society.
Thus, it recommended that cultural practices that are harmful to women should be discarded,
while caution must be exercised in the quest for the liberation of women so that African
cultural values can be retained, and thus not destroyed under the guise of civilization.

Key words: Africa, culture, Women’s right, Yoruba

Introduction
Discourse on the rights of women in Africa has been a major focus of contemporary scholarship
in Africa. Many scholars of feminist studies have been largely unanimous that aspects of African
culture are hostile to women, hence the need for a paradigm shift so that the supposed hitherto
marginalised woman will be emancipated, this paper discusses the right of African women in a
Yoruba context with emphasis placed on two divides of culture as possible agents of women
oppression and therefore, its relevance in promoting rights of women. Hence, this is a way of
correcting misconception about culture in relation to the gender question.

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Culture has been variously defined; it is understood as a way of life of a people. Thus, culture is
made up the customs, traditions, beliefs, behaviour, dress, language, works of art and craft,
attitude to life among others, which varies from society to society and suggests that cultural
values are largely relative. And similarly, E.B. Tylor has acceptingly defined culture as “That
complex whole, which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom and any other
capabilities and habit acquired by man as a member of society”. (Edo 2005:2)

The Woman in Yoruba Culture

The Yoruba people predominantly belong to the Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Ekiti and Lagos
States. Theyequally formparts of Edo, Kwara and Kogi states; (Awolalu and Dopamu1979:3)
and some parts ofRepublic of Benin and Togo.The question of their origin is debatableand in the
present state of knowledge,not much is categorically known about it. (Idowu 1996:4)
However,two different answers are found in oral traditions.The first holds that their founding
fathers were immigrants from a northern source variously identified as Egyppt,Meroe,Yemen or
Arabia while it is claimed in the second body of traditions that Ile-Ife was the the first habitable
place created on earth,from which all earthly creation began.For this reason,Ile-Ife is referred to
as the cradle of the Yoruba race. (Akintoye2004:1) In this paper, emphasis is on the Yoruba
people of Nigeria. The Yoruba nation like many other African societies is essentially patriarchal;
hence men are understood to be more privileged than women. Such a society is described by
(Ubrurhe 1999:82) as that which is characterised by male super ordination and female
subordination. Men show superiority over their women counterparts, who are usually relegated
to the background. Therefore, socially, politically, economically and religiously women are to a
very large extent, disadvantaged since decision were taken mostly by women the males. This
has consistently manifested in various way as shall be established in this section. According to
Adetunji, (2001 :106) the cultural and gender problem, which African women have been facing
dates back to their birth as in many homes the birth of a baby girl does not receive the kind of
enthusiastic reception that is usually given to that of a baby boy. Thus is somebody is treated
with inferiority right from birth, it may be difficult for such a person not to be perpetually caught
in the web of such a treatment. Olabode (2009:136) is also affirmative that:

Immediately a child is born, the question that will be posed will centre on sex, not minding of
health of the mother. If the baby is a female, the mother will be scolded and treated as a lazy,
good for nothing woman. On the other hand if the child is a male, praise will be showered on the
mother, not considering the fact that Biology has shown that it is the father who determines the
sex of an offspring.

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Oduyoye ‘s view is that African culture is replete with language that enables the community to
diminish the humanity of women.(Oduyoye 2001:3) While Akintunde believes that African
culture has been a long tale of discrimination and injustice to women as there has not been equity
in the opportunity, dignity and power between men and women. Her reason is that there are
various aspects of African culture which restrict them from attaining equal status with men.
(Akintunde 1999:74) This is often the story of Yoruba women. Let us discuss manifestation of
gender discrimination in Yoruba culture one after the other.

Inheritance
Inheritance as a cultural practice among the Yoruba is not women friendly. Traditionally the
issue of will was non- existent. Thus after the burial of the deceased, the oracle was consulted to
fix a time for the sharing of the property (human -wives, offices and material). Sharing of offices
is male centred as women cannot be made the head of the family. No matter how young a male
child is, he is superior to female children in this regard no matter how old they may be. However,
it is not impossibility for female children to inherit property especially when they are single, but
this is not always the case for married women because of the belief that they in their entirety
belong to their husbands. Of course, it is not dignifying for a married woman to claim any right
regarding inheriting her father’s property. What obtains in Igbo land is more hostile to women
as they do not have any right to inherit anything from their fathers. (Oke 2001:52) If a man dies
without having a son, his belongings go to his brother or uncle, and his name is believed to have
been lost. This is why having a male child in the area is sacrosanct and the relevance of the
name Ahamefula- My name is not lost.1Hence, it important to note that while a woman may not
inherit, she could be inherited, thus, traditionally wives of the deceased were part of his property.
In such a situation, she could be inherited by somebody too old for her or somebody who may be
younger than her own son.

Proverbs and Taboos

Proverb is defined as a concise statement, in general use, expressing a shrewd perception about
everyday life or a universally recognized truth. Most proverbs are rooted in folklore and have
been preserved by oral tradition. (Encarta 2009) A proverb is a short sentence usually, usually
known by many people, stating something commonly experienced or giving advice. (Tiamiyu
and Olaleye 2009:116). Proverbs are very significant in traditional Africa, hence the saying
among the Yoruba Owe lesin oro , oro lesin owe; ti oro ba sonu owe la fin nwa – meaning A
proverb is a guide to a word and a word is a guide to a proverb; when a word is lost, a proverb is
used to find it. Corroborating this Achebe 1986:5 says that “proverbs are the palm oil with which
words are eaten.” They are intimately related to culture of a people and they address themselves
to many themes and areas of knowledge. Also they are collections of wisdom of people and they
carry authority in respect of social relationship. (Olabode 2009:131)

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As relevant as proverbs are in Yoruba society, they are used to portray women as less important
and immoral entity. The following proverbs and their explanation will lend credence to this
claim. Owu ti iya gbon lomo n ran. The attitudes of the mother are emulated by her offspring.
This proverb is related to conduct or behaviour. In this case the mother is seen as immoral and
ill-mannered; and every bad behave child takes after her and summarily belong to her. The father
is exonerated as good children belong to him and he is always proud of such children. Hence the
saying “Omo to dara nim ti baba eyi ti ko dara niti iya” a well behaved child belongs to the
mother and vice versa. The reservation men have about a bad child could be expressed beyond
proportion as they could disown him or her and accuse the mother of unconfirmed case of
adultery. Another proverb that expresses women being disadvantaged is Ai lokurin nile lobinrin
njogun ada – the absence of male affords a female the opportunity of inheriting a cutlass. Cutlass
as a farm implement is traditionally used by men. It symbolises power and essence of survival.
Women hardly engage in farm work except when crops are to be harvested. Therefore,
for a woman to assume the mantle of leadership, the head of the house hold must be
irresponsible, lazy, or dead. When this is not the case, women are understood to be substitutes.
This is similar to tio ba nidi obirin ki ije kumolu– Woman cannot be named Kumolu for any
reason. This name is given to men especially those who are potential leaders of their families.
This confers much respect and dignity on them. It follows that where there are men, women are
not reckoned with. What about kaka ko san fun iya aje on fi omo bo obinrin, eye nyi lu eye?-
rather than a witch faring well, she keeps giving birth to female children and witches keep
increasing. Witchcraft is female system of religious activity in Yoruba society while wizardry is
male system of religious activity. However, witches are treated with ostracism that a confessing
witch could be stoned by an irate mob. Quite ironic those wizards are not treated as such. The
proverb implies that if a woman belongs to this system of religious activity her daughters will be
initiated. (Tiamiyu and Olaleye 2009:118-120) An inference that could be drawn from the
foregoing is that a man who is married to a witch (if he is aware) will not be happy if she keeps
giving birth to female children. This is another way of showing preference for male children in
patriarchal society.

There is a proverbial joke that further buttresses the perceived irrelevance of women. A male
child populates the family while the female one depopulates it. This belief has occasioned this
saying “Adekunle ni oruko okunrin, Adetule ni oruko obinrin” In the Yoruba society, when a
woman is married she move to her husband’s place and becomes a member of the family. Given
this reality, a male child who will bring a woman or women in is preferred to the one (female
child who will leave her parental home after marriage. This is why the male child is
metaphorically referred to as the pillar of the family opomulero while the female one symbolises
a seasonal stream. The view is largely responsible for why parents in the past were not
favourably disposed to sending their daughters to school. We shall discuss this in detail later in
this work. The list of proverb that so portray women as not as important as men is long. What
we have attempted to do in this piece is an analysis of some of them.

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Another aspect of Yoruba culture that is significant in respect of the status of women is the
imposition of taboos. Taboo is a prohibition against performing certain acts and it is motivated
by magical or social sanction. (Balandier and Magnet 1974:314) It is a way in which a society
expresses disapproval of certain kinds of behaviour believed to be harmful to its members, either
for supernatural reason or because such behaviour violates a moral code. (Wardhaugh 1986:230)
Taboo is common to all civilization but it is systemised in many African countries. Among the
Yoruba for instance, taboos are used to enforce moral rules. Whether or not they can stand the
test of empiricism and logicality is another issue that has not escaped the attention of scholars
(Familusi 2010:105 &109) It has been discovered that some of them limit the rights of women
and for this reason some taboos have been understood as a way of enforcing patriarchal
dominance. The following are examples of those taboos.

1. A menstruating woman must not participate in the sacrifice to Obatala- Yoruba divinity of
fertility and other religious activities. Obatala is renowned for whiteness and this symbolises
purity (as menstrual period is believed to be a time impurity or defilement). Also, they are
forbidden from entering into any sacred places because they could render all objects there
ineffective. This taboo apart from depicting women as being unclean equally reduces their
relevance in religious activities.

2. Women are forbidden from watching Oro. Oro religious activities are is an exclusive preserve
of men. In order to prevent women from having its knowledge, they are traditionally not allowed
to see or get involved in it so as not to see its nakedness. A defiant woman risks sanction, hence
the saying ‘boobinrin ba foju kan oro, oro a gbe, that is, if a woman watches oro, it will deal
with her. (Olabode 2009:135; Tiamiyu and Olaleye 2009:122) Also there is a limit to the
involvement of women in the Egungun cult. Like the Oro, Egungun is mainly for men and it
involves an element of secrecy. Even if a woman knows the secret, she must not tell anybody.
This literally explains the saying ‘b’obinrin mawo ko gbodo wi. The masquerades that come out
in the night are believed to be naked. Thus they must not be seen women if the need arises for
women to go out in the night during Egungun festival, such must be announced so that the
nocturnal masquerades will disappear. In contemporary time, these taboos infringe seriously on
the freedom of movement of women.

Sexual Fidelity
Chastity before marriage on the part of the woman was essential. A woman who was not virtuous
at marriage was a disgrace not only to herself, but also to members of her family. (Idowu
1982:157) It follows that virginity was a cherished virtue in Yoruba society. The first a couple
spent together was a very special one; members of the bride’s and bridegroom’s family were to
sleep outside the married couple’s room and strain their ears to catch the exclamation of pain
coming from the new wife during what was supposed to be her first sexual experience.

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If she was not found to be virgin, the members of her family would run away for safety as the
disappointed husband could violently react. In the following morning, a symbolic message of a
half keg of palm wine would be sent to her parents and she in turn would be given a broken pot
to go and fetch water from the stream. This was to show her infidelity. The bride’s father on his
part would send a message of consolation to the bridegroom and could request that she should be
sent back to him and there she would be flogged until she mentioned the name of the person who
deflowered her. When the man was identified, he would be sued customarily for damages.
(Fadipe 1970: 25) As good as this practice was in respect of ensuring chastity, women were at
the receiving end as the punishment meted out to the man – a co-offender was minimal if at all
he was sanctioned. One needs to say also that the society was not concerned about whether or not
a man had slept with other women before marriage. One expects that this should be mutually
exclusive. This practice has become outdated as virginity is no longer publicly celebrated and its
loss has ceased to be a thing of disgrace. (Adeoye 1982:233, Familusi 1999:86)
On extra marital sexual affairs, the woman is duty bound to be faithful to her husband while the
rule is loose regarding the man. In fact, women are expected to be calm when their husbands
have been found to have been involved in extra marital sexual affairs. Ebenezer Obey, a Yoruba
musician sings that

Okunrin le ni aya mefa

Ko bu
Okunrin kan soso
Ni Oluwa yan fobinrin

A man can have six wives

It is not bad
But to one man only
God appointed a woman to marry (Culled from Dopamu and Alana 2004:160-162)

A Yoruba proverb says "A k ii moko omo tan, ka tunmale omo" meaning it is not proper to know
one’s daughter's husband and her concubine. Nothing is said about knowing one's son's wife and
his concubine. This might not be a crime in a patriarchal society. While adultery is an adulterous
woman is seen as a murderer, adultery is construed as proving the valour of men. (Olademo
2009:104) Lending credence to the foregoing Edewor 2006:375-376 says that:

Nigerian culture, as many African cultures, allows or even encourages

men to contract polygamous marriage and a man who engages in extra
marital relations does not receive general condemnation as a woman
does. He might even be privately hailed for his behaviour. On the other
hand, not only would such an act by a married receive wide
condemnation but would in fact be ruthlessly and severely punished.

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This scenario is described by Onayemi 1999:47 as the other woman and it means a man despite
having many wives at home still keeps a woman friend, girlfriend or a concubine outside his
home. The wives at home do not have the right to protest; the best that can be done is for the
eldest wife to take it upon to speak with the man to formalise the marriage. Doing this may be in
the interest of the man or to deal with the new wife. Whatever may be the reason, the man seems
to be at liberty to engage in extra marital affairs, which the woman must not contemplate doing.
Yoruba sexual control mechanism are gender in nature as men do believe that only women should
be prevented from committing adultery. Let us consider the issue of Magun- a traditional magic
against sexual immorality, which is used to prevent, expose or punish a promiscuous woman, her
lover or both.This is of various types. Ogunsakin - Fabarebo (1998:9-20) identifies twenty three
types of magun, some are destructive while some are preventive; but the main reason for making
use of it is to guard against sexual immorality. This method of curbing sexual immorality needs to
be viewed with objectivity as it may not completely be completely beneficial. The reason is that
the man who places on his wife may equally be involved in extra marital affairs. It follows that if
his wife is prevented by the use of magun and the husband continues to have affairs with other
women it is as good as legitimising adultery. On a very sensitive note, the fact that this mechanism
is procured by men further confirms African culture of male superiority, which is an issue of
concern to feminists. The question is how do women prevent their husbands from involving in
extra-marital affairs? Looking into this is a matter of expediency because one expects marital
faithfulness on the part of spouses in a society that does not believe a sex is superior to the other.

Morality
Immorality of all forms is detested among the Yoruba that immoral people are treated with
ostracism. Given this people try tom abide by the norm of society. This however does not
suggest that moral rules are not flouted. Immorality as a matter of fact is not gender based. In
other words, both the man and the woman could be guilty of unethical conduct. In line with the
status of women in traditional Yoruba society, women are believed to be agents of moral
ineptitude. This is why they are blamed for their children’s bad behaviour. As reflected in
Yoruba oral tradition, several moral vices are perpetrated by women. It is a popular saying that
obinrin koni gogongo, that is,women do not have Adam’s apple. This suggests that they cannot
keep secret and that theymust not be confided in. An ijala2 verse says:

Obinrin lodale, obinrin leke,

Emo finu han obinrin.
Women are disloyal deceitful, do not expose your inner thought to a woman. (Olademo
2009:103)

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These lines ascribe deceitful behaviour to women alone whereas the act is an attribute of both
men and women. Since ijala is masculine one expects such a conclusion as regards the attitude of
women. It is usually said ema finu han obinrin, ibi ti oju re oto enu re debe. The literal
interpretation of this is- do not be open minded to a woman, where her eyes are absent, her
mouth will go there. This further explains the portrayal of women as not being reliable but
deceitful. Therefore they must not be trusted or relied on as doing so will result in betrayal and
treachery because they are believed to have loose tongues. (Tiamiyu and Olaleye 2009:121) And
as earlier noted bad children belong to the mother, while the good ones are proudly associated
with by the father. It is absurd to blame mothers only for the misdeeds of children. Although one
is not oblivious of the fact that the responsibility of child’s upbringing falls heavily on them
because at the initial stage, the child is closer to the mother than any other person. In most cases,
the father is not always at home and the mother sees it as her responsibility to train him or her.
Besides, she is the first agent of the child’s socialization. This may be the reason why the child’s
first language is referred to as the “mother tongue”. (Lawal: 2005 131) Despite the enormity of
the mother’s responsibility in child rearing, his or her misdeeds must not be entirely blamed on
the mother.

Western Education
Before the introduction of western education, traditional Yoruba people had always transmitted
their cultural values from one generation to another. Therefore, there is Yoruba concept of
education, which is aimed at character development, development of intent and physical skills,
inculcation respect for elder and leaders, understanding, appreciating and promoting the cultural
heritage of society among other. (Lawal 2005: 129) Western education was received with
disinclination in most places and the few who were willing to send their children to school did
not consider it wise to send the female ones. Therefore those who had initial exposure to this
form of education were largely men. This is attributable to the fact that a woman is seen as
property and beast burden at the mercy of the pleasure of the husband. In the past, some parents
felt that if girls should acquire some formal education and were privileged to work, they would
surrender their pay packets to their husbands and not their parents. (Adebisi 2009:153)
According to Adetunji, the African woman is not encouraged to avail herself of educational
opportunities, rather she is encouraged to tom go into such an institution where functional
education is acquired to prepare her for motherhood. (Adetunji 2001:106) It should be noted
though women now go to school; their enrolment in some places is very low. The point being
made is that Yoruba culture was not favourably disposed to educating the girl child, which was a
way of entrenching patriarchy. The current clamour for increased participation of women in
Nigerian politics could be traced to this factor. Since initially they were not exposed to
education, a factor that gave rise to participation in politics and nationalism, it may be difficult
for them to compete favourably with men.

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Widowhood Practices
Widowhood is associated with many practices traditional Africa some of which harmful and
dehumanizing. These practices vary from culture to culture. Among the Yoruba, the duration of
mourning for a Widow is one year. During this period, she is to refrain from sex and she must
not remarry. In the past, she was not to bathe or go out for fourteen days. It is for the reason that
a proverb is often said:

Obun ri’ku oko ti’ro mo

Oni ojo ti oko oun ti ku oun ko tii we
A dirty woman attributes her not bathing to the death of her husband.

This proverb confirms the practice of not bath, but it may be an alibi for a dirty woman who was
not bathing regularly when her husband was alive. Although she could not as a matter of right
inherit her husband’s properties, she could be inherited by a member of her husband’s family.
Widows are forbidden from attending social functions and no adornment of any kind is allowed.
They are made to wear black attire or other dull colours. A widow surrounded by hostile in-laws
is vulnerable to inhuman treatments that are not necessarily cultural. She could be accused of
having killed her husband and she may sent out of her matrimonial home while those inherited
could be exposed to unhealthy rivalry with the wife or wives of the new husband. It apposite to
remark what obtains in Yoruba land is mild compared with cultures like Igbo in Nigeria
(Ukpokolo 2005:124) and Luo in Kenya. (Ressy-Mamo 2005:53) There is no specific mourning
period for the widower. In fact, he may remarry shortly after the death of his wife because of
domestic care. There is no rule binding on those who have more than one wife. (Familusi
1999:63)

The woman in Yoruba culture has been understood so far in this work as less privileged and
largely endangered species. However the negative impact of culture has limits as women in their
own right are influential and at times enjoy some rights. Therefore, the question of their being
marginalised must not be blown out of proportion. In Yoruba ethics, it is the responsibility of
men to give protection to women as weaker sex. When they walk together, the woman should be
allowed to go in front while the man follows her so as to afford her protection ad defence in case
there is and danger. The woman as a matter of necessity should be sheltered and afforded the
first chance of escape when the need arises. (Idowu 1982:164) By virtue of this privilege, the
woman cannot be said to be a second class human being. Implicitly, she is more cherished in this
regard. Up till today, it is considered imperative for a Yoruba man to protect his wife or wives.
(Dopamu and Alana 2004:164)

Women are not in any way insignificant in specific religious activities, their prohibition during
menstrual period notwithstanding. Traditionally they were assigned roles in religion as
priestesses and functionaries and in spite of the fact that many are male dominated, some give
room for women participation and such may be led by either a man or a woman.

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(Orebiyi 2001:77; Afolayan 2006:1) Examples of these systems are Osun, Ogun and Sango.
This is why titles like Iya Sango and Iya Osun exist. It is on record that the late Susan Wenger
“Adunni Oloosa” was an important personality in Osun Osogbo. Traditionally, there are things
that cannot be accomplished without the influence of women. Many successful men are
beneficiaries of their wives covert contributions and many a man has fallen or ceased to be
relevant as a result of withdrawn loyalty of women. In Egungun religious system the roles of
women are important, though they mainly operate behind the scene. For instance, there are
female titles holders Ewesorun and loobariin especially among the Ijesa while the most powerful
masquerade Ladunwo in Imesi-ile, Osun State must pay homage to Yeye Oro- mother of
religious activity. Also in Ilawe Ekiti, the ingenuity of women is apparent in the worship of
Orinlase. As noted Ilesanmi (1996:8-9):

It is not surprising that they are sober and well organized. They are cool
and well refined, knowledgeable and reserved in their occult artistry…
Women virtually make the deities. Annually they re-enact past events,
advertising a hero of their choice to the community for communal
acceptance as a deity. They cement their confirmation of deity through
ceremonial praise poetry rendered in honour of the deity oral recitation.
Their body decoration is enough to attract the men folk thereby forcing
them to listen to the message of their recitation… In fact the role of women
in perpetuation of religion can not be overemphasized. Just as religion
itself, women are a mystery; but they are also the conspicuous second
aspect of the binary system of complementarity, which has to be
comprehended and appreciated for peacefulcoexistence in this universe in
order to maintain a permanent cosmos.

What about Ayelala, a goddess among the Ilaje and Ijo Apoi people in Okitipupa area of Ondo
State.? The offering of the enslaved girl (who later became deified) to appease the gods of the
land following a crime of sexual immorality should be seen as a form of sacrifice, on the part of
women. Although she was forced to die, she is today worshipped and this is to the credit of
women. Another example is Queen Moremi of Ile-Ife, who offered to be captured by invading
Igbo warriors and through this she was able to liberate her people.(Fatokun 2010:136-138) Can
it be controverted that a woman did what men could not do? Women are not in all cases
unrecognised.

Apart from related religious activities, women participate actively in community affairs. This is
why in every Yoruba community there are female chiefs who are deeply involved traditional
governance. For example in the old Ibadan kingdom, the title of Iyalode was created in the 1850s
to reward Madam Subuola who used to assist the warriors. The Iyalode must possess qualities
similar to those of the Baale. She is described as:

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A chief to whom all the women’s palavers are brought before they are
taken to the king. She is infact a sort of queen, a person of much
influence and looked up to with much respect. (Falola 1984:108-109)

Ojo (2004: 238) does not in any way agree that women are inferior to men as she highlights
various roles played by them both in the home and society. According to her “Yoruba women are
very intelligent, lively, expressive, courageous, devoted to family, enterprising and versatile.”
Women are known to be protective of their families and on several occasions they sacrifice
personal interest even to the point of death for their children. When men are reluctant to finance
the education of their children, women have always faced the challenge of shouldering the
responsibility. Their contributions to the upbringing of the child should not go unnoticed. In this
era of civilization and acculturation, women are now both seen and heard in Yoruba land. Some
of them have become bread winners of their families because of economic reality of the day. The
relevance of the saying “Behind every successful man is a woman” is now. Many professions
that were no go areas for women in the past are now also dominated by them. In modern day
politics women have launched themselves into prominence. In the South-Western Nigeria, apart
from being members of Houses of Assembly and the National Assembly, there are at present
three female deputy governors and a Speaker. This is good starting point and efforts are being
made towards having more representation. The fact that the mother is described as gold
Iyaniwura while the father is mirror dingi suggests to an extent their relevance and value.
Economically and socially speaking gold is more expensive and cherished that mirror. While
paternity of a child can be in doubt, maternity is incontrovertible. Bayo Adegboyega, a gospel
musician is right to sing in an Album titled ‘Dear Mother’ that:

Iya o see paaro

Omo o see paaro
Isoro to wu kole de ba omo
Iya niya o maaje
Mother cannot be exchanged
Child cannot be exchanged
No matter the problem the child is facing
Mother will always be mother (my translation)

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Concluding Remark
The status of women in traditional Africa has been a major of attention to scholars, especially female
scholars. The woman has always been presented as a victim of cultural practices hence the promotion
of women studies, which is a step in right direction. However, women have equally been presented as
force that cannot be ignored all aspects of Yoruba life. (McIntosh 2009) Thus if a man is indispensable,
I contend that women should also be recognised as such, and value must be placed on the human
person, not sex. It needs be recommended that cultural practices that are harmful to women should be
discarded. If culture is a way of life and it is dynamic, one does not expect it to be destructive. Our
submission in this paper is that the woman and her experience must no longer be viewed entirely from
a negative perspective while African feminists are encouraged to exercise caution in their activities.
Things such abortion, lesbianism, and choosing to have children or not; advocated by radical feminism
(Ukpokolo 2005:119) must be ignored as they negate Africa cultural heritage.

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Notes
1
This name is often given when a long awaited male child comes or when a man who happens to
be the only male child of his parents has a male child.
2
Ijala is the poetry that is sung and performed by hunters, blacksmiths and all who deal in iron
work, in honour of Ogun, the divinity of iron.

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